And the England boss restated his hope that fans would refrain from political chanting during the match, with the violence that led to the abandonment of the last fixture between the nations fresh in everyone's mind.

"I was very happy to send out the letter to try and make sure that the game is played in the right spirit as I know it will be on the field.

"I hope the fans, and the Irish fans, show the level of respect that we would expect for a game of this type.

"I'm looking forward to it very much. Not only have the Republic of Ireland got a fantastic record, but they've reached major tournaments and have shown they're a difficult team for any opponent.

"I think it's very fitting that we now play one of the other home nations and in Ireland we know we're going into the kind of quality game that will help us prepare for our important games in October."

A further clarification from the England Owl, regarding possible misinterpretations of his reference to Ireland's status as a "home nation" will perhaps be along shortly...